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Idyllic Ireland?
It is perhaps enough to make you rub your hands with glee... a survey by The Economist magazine says that Ireland is top of the list out of 111 countries surveyed as the best place in the world to live.
You can see the people in the tourism industry rolling up their sleeves to make full use of that gem of information.
But hold on a second. For the first time in many years it has been reported that there has been a reduction in the number of tourists visiting Ireland from Britain.
It’s a worrying blip on the radar screen.
Britain forms the largest source of overseas visitors to Ireland and it accounts for more than half of the country’s tourist traffic.
While many who visit Ireland on holiday undoubtedly have family ties with the old country, it is obviously wrong of Ireland to think it can simply rely on these people to keep on coming back year after year.
A quality holiday experience is expected from the Celtic Tiger, good value for money, not rip-off.
There is no doubt that Ireland cannot compete on price with low-cost holiday destinations elsewhere in Europe — especially those which have recently opened up throughout eastern Europe. Traditional sunspots like Greece, Italy and Turkey are already losing out to these new kids on the block.
But, given that many airplane loads of tourists are still prepared to visit Ireland using the low cost airlines or by fast ferry, it is imperative that Ireland provides these visitors with better value and a friendlier service.
The signs on the wall have been there for a number of years now for those who wanted to see them.
Surveys have found more and more visitors were dissatisfied with restaurant charges, pub prices and the cost of goods and services. They also objected to the rudeness of some staff.
In recent months even the home-grown Irish worried about pub prices have taken the situation into their own hands, preferring to buy cheaper in off licences so they can take their beer home and have a smoke there as well in peace.
Some pubs in Ireland have recently embraced the initiative of actually reducing their prices and attempting to improve their facilities to try and win back customers.
This surely must be the way forward and should be taken on board by all those involved in the Irish hospitality sector.
Tourism is one of Ireland’s major industries. It provides work for some 140,000 people and generates some £3 billion annually in foreign earnings.
About £21 million a year is spent by the government in Ireland in promoting and marketing the Irish holiday experience.
Visitor numbers from Britain have risen in recent years thanks to some sterling work by those involved in the tourist industry.
Rip-off Ireland is not something which those in the tourist industry like to hear. But Ireland’s loss of competitiveness as a tourist destination needs to be addressed if long-term damage is to be avoided.
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